Taking Control

Never one to say no to a fresh start, 

I'm excited to begin tomorrow, 

with a new outlook on my schedule 

and my sanity.

After weeks of dinner dates, get togethers and a calendar filled to the brim, 

I've decided that I will no longer allow myself to fill up everyday without a break.

No more excuses.

While most of my appointments and dinners have been for fun, 

a side effect of an overly blooming social life, 

other side effects have taken over, 

including exhaustion, anxiety, and frustration

at the lack of time and energy available to devote to those things 

that we all say we want to do, 

that we desire to do, 

but that rarely ever occur. 

I've absolutely loved spending time with those dear to me over the recent weeks;
it's been a gift considering my absolute lack of time 
in past years.
But I know that overall, 
our time together in the future will be enriched 
if, as individuals, we feel our best, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

And so, going forward, 

I'm only allowing two or three days a week to be scheduled. 

I will consider my work schedule and let that determine 

if I have time to add in any "fun extras."

And on the days I block off for myself, for life, for my sanity, 

I will actually be able to focus on the things

I so desperately want to ingrain into my life.

I'm making exercise a priority, 

I'm going to try out some of those recipes 

from that pile of cookbooks

and the collection of prints-outs I've gathered.

I'm excited to finally catch up with my beloved stack of magazines, 

to focus more on my writing ideas, 

to read a book. 

And I'm going to sleep.

And breathe. 

And enjoy more deeply.

Simply making a choice 

to manage my days and nights in this way, 

is empowering. 

I'm taking control.

It feels great.

I have a kale, banana, peanut butter and honey smoothie awaiting me in the morning, 

and a delicious salad packed up ready for lunch.  

I'm sipping some wine and getting ready to soak up some Mad Men 

to round out my productive weekend. 

Good things are happening. 

photo via joy the baker pinterest

Recovering

I’m hibernating.

For the past few weekends, 

I’ve veered away from most social activities, 

I’ve passed on going-out opportunities, 

in favor of staying home. 

Which is not to say, 

I haven’t been busy on these weekends.

I’ve done laundry, 

I’ve cleaned and tidied my apartment.

I’ve had wonderful meals with the boy 

and we’ve ran errands.

I’ve started into my never-ending pile of magazines, 

we’ve watched movies. 

I started a new workout routine

 and dived into organizational goals I have for myself.

But overall, I’ve been pretty anti-social. 

I’ve chosen my couch over bars and parties. 

And it has been wonderful.

My work weeks tend to be busy, 

tend to be scheduled to the brim. 

And I was started to break, 

to feel like I wasn’t on solid ground any more. 

After the holidays, 

I was worn out.

The new year is for fresh starts, 

and I wanted, 

I needed, 

to make one, 

to really take care of me. 

I don’t currently even have much desire to go out on a Friday night, 

but I know that I will again, 

when there is actually something worthwhile,

 to get dressed up for and head out on the town. 

So until then, 

my weekends are for recovery, 

recovery from my hectic work week, 

recovery from too little sleep, 

from too much stimulation and stress, 

my weekends are for physical, mental and emotional recovery.

With this recovery time, 

I’m hoping my creativity will grow, will renew, 

will inspire me for future projects and new ideas.

So on that note, 

I’m off to make a good dinner, 

and enjoy my favorite tv shows, 

as the boy is out of town tonight

and the remote and DVR is all mine.

And I don’t feel one bit guilty about it, 

because it’s going to be great.

I’ll let you know when I’m ready to come out of my hibernation.

It’s bound to be for something pretty fabulous.

photo courtesy of Glitter Guide’s Pinterest

My New Drink of Choice

I jumped on the green juice wagon over a month ago, 

and yes, 

I’m hooked. 

I’d heard about the glories of juicing for quite some time

and have even tried one of the  3-day cleanses 

with shipped-to-my-door juices.

But it was a recipe I found on Sous Style

featuring the absolutely radiant Kimberly Snyder

and her signature Glowing Green Smoothie,

that got me to try making one myself.

I loved that you could make enough for 3-4 days, 

and it consisted of common ingredients, 

no odd oils, supplements or other items 

I wouldn’t be able to obtain at my local grocery.

Kimberly swore by her smoothie 

and proclaimed lots of fabulous benefits 

that I yearned for.

So I gave it a go.

And it really is fabulous.

But what I love

is every time I make a batch, 

almost every Sunday evening, 

I edit the recipe, 
making it my own. 

You can personalize the juice so it works in your favor.

After the first try, I added an extra apple 

so I could get used to the green flavor a bit more.

I love lemon, so instead of half a lemon, 

I always use a full one.
I’ve continued to experiment, 
tweaking ingredients and amounts, 
creating my own version.

This past week I mixed kale in with the spinach, 

and while thicker and “greener,”

I like it and love knowing I’m getting so many nutrients right away in the morning. 

I feel healthier, 

and even if it’s more mind over matter, 

I can’t deny that I feel better.

It may be trendy and cliche, 

but I’m on the green juice band wagon, 

and I ain’t getting off anytime soon.

I see a potential future career here....
Liz Greene Juice??

all photos from my iPhone/Instagram